â<80><9c>I could tolerate any insurance seminar. For days I could sit there and listen to them go on and on with a big smile on my face. They’d say, â<80>~How can you stand it?â<80><99> I’d say, â<80>~Cause I’ve been with Del Griffith. I can take ANYTHINGâ<80><99>.â<80>
I doubt that Neal Page (Steve Martin) in â<80><9c>Planes, Trains and Automobilesâ<80> ever heard Mike Adamle or Randy Orton speak at length.
Speaking of that, I have found the cure for insomnia.
A shot of Adamle with an Orton chaser.
Sheesh.
You know, maybe Adamle fell short as an announcer on ECW. But at least he showed that he had — oh, I donâ<80><99>t know — personality? Is this the persona of Rawâ<80><99>s General Manager? Dry, monotone delivery? A blank facial expression? I donâ<80><99>t want flamboyance. I can even do without the entrance music. How about some fâ<80><99>inâ<80><99> vocal inflection?
If this is a rib on someone (Iâ<80><99>ve heard Eric Bischoff), then the gag is falling as flat as Adamleâ<80><99>s performances as Raw GM. Donâ<80><99>t get me wrong. I think its time to retire the tired overreaching boss concept. However, if we need an authority figure, whatâ<80><99>s wrong with William Regal? Youâ<80><99>re not really doing anything with him anyway. At least he brought an element of entertainment to — you got it — sports entertainment.
Add to his vocal style, Adamleâ<80><99>s lack of character a lack of direction. Whom is he siding with? A neutral GM on a pro wrestling show. Are you kidding me?
So, we get a presenter at an insurance seminar. The boring professor who drones on and on. The robotic voice. The blank stare.
But enough about Randy Orton.
You know, heâ<80><99>s not a rookie anymore. He really needs to start putting some effort into those promos. The words he delivered on Raw last night should have been filled with emotion. He was screwed out of his world title, a lifelong ambition that was taken away from him. He suffered serious, potentially career-ending injuries. He took out an undeserving champion. And, he is motivating a rookie group of second-generation wrestlers to earn his respect.
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto.
He doesnâ<80><99>t need to scream and yell. Sometimes, a quiet intensity can tell the story. With Orton, weâ<80><99>re getting the quiet, now we need the intensity. He has been pushed to the moon, main eventing Wrestlemania. Holding titles. Being involved in high-profile angles. Heâ<80><99>s the â<80><9c>Legend Killerâ<80> AND the â<80><9c>Crowd Killer.â<80>
Yes, heâ<80><99>s out of action for now, which practically requires that he be a shade more entertaining. If he canâ<80><99>t tell a story with physicality, he needs to tell it with his voice and face. Heâ<80><99>s falling short.
Then again, maybe he is qualified to be General Manager.
